The Orlando Magic were on the wrong side of a lopsided game against the Charlotte Hornets that resulted in their third-straight loss after winning seven games in a row.
The Orlando Magic dropped their third game in a row in a 130-111 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
After beating Charlotte in the first meeting of the season, the Hornets won against the Magic the rest of the way; dealing them losses by 15-plus points over the next three games. Afterward, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley talked about what went wrong.
“I think a couple of times we got downhill, didn't get a couple of calls,” Mosley said. “They were able to get out on the break. We turned it over a couple of times, just leading to their easy transition baskets.
“They opened it up with some three-pointers. We missed a couple. Then our ability to not sprint back in transition allowed them to get some early easy baskets, a close game, and then it just ballooned.”
The lack of calls led to an outburst by Mosley that resulted in his ejection with 5:14 remaining in the second quarter. Afterward, he held himself accountable for his actions.
“Yeah, I got to be better for our group in that situation,” Mosley said. "Listen, I thought we went to the basket up a couple of times, didn't get a couple of calls that were very similar on the other end, and just the level of consistency in that.
“So that's what I was fighting for our guys, to be able to see that if we're going to play a physical style of basketball, which we do, that I'm okay with it being called on the other end, as long as we're getting the same call on our end.”
By the end of the game, the Hornets ended up taking 27 free throws while the Magic took 21. However, Mosley did not blame the loss solely on the free throw disparity. Instead, he realized that the Magic must be better defensively.
“it's got to be our defensive mindset that's got to kick in,” he said. “Our physicality has got to be there, regardless of whether we're getting calls or not. Our defense has got to set the tone from the beginning of the game. And knowing going against a team like this, offensive-minded, they can get out in the open court.”
The Hornets ended up shooting 52.5% from the field and 47.8% from 3-point range.
After leading the Magic with 24 points, Desmond Bane expressed similar sentiments regarding his team’s defensive effort.
“I think that when you're playing a team like that, you give them an inch and they take a mile,” Bane said. “You've got to be extremely locked in; disciplined on defense. They scored a ball in a variety of ways. I thought that they were able to get out and get some threes. Coby White got going.
“Offensively, we struggled to put the ball in the basket. We had some conversations about it. We think we just need to play more together. You see a team like that, a team like Atlanta that we just ended up playing, OKC. All those teams are sharing the ball, moving without the ball. It's generating good things for the entire team.”
The Magic will return to action on Saturday when they host the Los Angeles Lakers.
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